NioBay Metals Inc. (“NioBay” or the “Company”) is proud to announce the first results of the work it is involved in with the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) and the University of Waterloo on the valorization of critical and strategic metals encountered in NioBay's projects.
Work
Metallic bipolar plates are crucial for the development of compact and lightweight proton exchange membrane fuel cell sacks; however, most of them encounter durability and conductivity challenges in the fuel cell environment. In this study, Nb-Ti alloy/Pt coatings are deposited on SS316L plates to enhance corrosion resistance, surface wettability, electrical and thermal conductivity, with reduced interfacial contact resistance.
The work was directed by Professors Samaneh Shahgalidi of UQTR and Xianguo Li of the University of Waterloo, and carried out as part of Mr. Pramoth Varsan Madhavan's doctoral thesis.
Results
Amongst other results, the incorporation of Nb-Ti alloy/Pt coatings on SS316L increases the in-plane electrical conductivity by 42.6 % and thermal conductivity by 3.5 %, surpassing the US Department of Energy’s technical targets in these categories. These results indicate the viability of Nb-Ti alloy/Pt coated SS316L bipolar plates for fuel cell applications.
The work was published in the journal: “Energy Conversion and Management 311 (2024) 118536”. The full article can be found on the NioBay website under R&D project.
Message from NioBay’s President and CEO
“We are very pleased to announce the start of a series of results resulting from the collaboration of two leading universities in the field of hydrogen research. This work opens new markets for niobium and titanium,” concludes Jean-Sébastien David.
Qualified Person
This press release has been reviewed and approved by Jean-Sébastien David, P.Geo., a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. David is President and CEO of NioBay.
